Tag: Mike Battaglia

Forte Favored in Pool 6 of Derby Future Wager

Forte (Violence), who goes postward in Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby, was tabbed the 5-2 favorite in the field of 39 individual horses, plus a 40th option for all other 3-year-olds, in the final pool of the GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Unlike the first five Future Wager pools, Pool 6 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will close Saturday at 6 p.m. ET., which is 40 minutes before the Florida Derby and one hour and 50 minutes ahead of GI Arkansas Derby.

Here is the complete field for Pool 6 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (with morning line odds provided by Mike Battaglia): #1 Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) (30-1); #2 Arctic Arrogance  (Frosted) (80-1); #3 Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) (50-1); #4 Bourbon Bash (City of Light) (99-1); #5 Classic Car Wash (Noble Bird) (80-1); #6 Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) (25-1); #7 Continuar (Jpn) (Drefong) (99-1); #8 Cyclone Mischief (Into Mischief) (80-1); #9 Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) (40-1); #10 Disarm (Gun Runner) (40-1); #11 Dreamlike (Gun Runner) (80-1); #12 Dubyuhnell (Good Magic) (80-1); #13 Fort Bragg (Tapit) (80-1); #14 Forte (5-2); #15 Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) (20-1); #16 Hayes Strike (Connect) (80-1); #17 Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) (20-1); #18 I Don't Get It (Cloud Computing) (99-1); #19 Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro) (20-1); #20 Jace's Road (Quality Road) (80-1); #21 Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) (20-1); #22 Mage (Good Magic) (80-1); #23 Mandarin Hero (Jpn) (Shanghai Bobby) (80-1); #24 Mendelssohns March (Mendelssohn) (99-1); #25 National Treasure (Quality Road) (50-1); #26 Practical Move (Practical Joke) (8-1); #27 Raise Cain (Violence) (40-1); #28 Red Route One (Gun Runner) (25-1); #29 Reincarnate (Good Magic) (20-1); #30 Rocket Can (Into Mischief) (30-1); #31 Shadow Dragon (Army Mule) (99-1); #32 Skinner (Curlin) (30-1); #33 Slip Mahoney (Arrogate) (80-1); #34 Sun Thunder (Into Mischief) (80-1); #35 Tapit Trice (Tapit) (8-1); #36 Two Eagles River (Cloud Computing) (99-1); #37 Two Phil's (Hard Spun) (40-1); #38 Verifying (Justify) (30-1); #39 Wild On Ice (Tapizar) (80-1); and #40 “All Other 3-Year-Olds” (15-1).

Pool 6 will feature $2 Win and Exacta wagering. Fans can wager via www.TwinSpires.com along with simulcast and ADW outlets from around the country.

The post Forte Favored in Pool 6 of Derby Future Wager appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Smile Happy Tops Individual Options Ahead Of Second Kentucky Derby Future Wager

Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager (“KDFW”) is set to open at noon Friday with the pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Olds” tabbed as the heavy 7-5 morning line favorite.

The second of five pools for the KDFW will run for three days through Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Bettors can place win and exacta wagers at simulcast outlets throughout the country and online at TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

Like in Pool 1, the KDFW pools assumes that horses under the care of trainers suspended from competing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby will not be under consideration.

Lucky Seven Stable's $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade 2) winner Smile Happy was installed as the 8-1 individual Pool 2 favorite by morning line oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. Trained by Kenny McPeek, Smile Happy is based at Gulfstream Park in South Florida and has been steadily working toward his 3-year-old debut. Smile Happy is one of four McPeek-trained colts in Pool 2. The others are Dash Attack (20-1), Rattle N Roll (30-1) and Tiz the Bomb (20-1).

In Pool 1, Smile Happy closed as the 8-1 individual favorite behind “All Other Colts and Geldings,” who was the odds-on 3-5 betting choice. Total handle for the Nov. 25-28 KDFW pool was $326,448 ($263,008 in the Win pool and $63,440 in Exactas), which was up 30.9 percent from last year's $249,331.

Here's the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2 field (with trainer and morning line odds): #1 Chasing Time (Steve Asmussen, 20-1); #2 Classic Causeway (Brian Lynch, 30-1); #3 Commandperformance (Todd Pletcher, 50-1); #4 Courvoisier (Kelly Breen, 30-1); #5 Dash Attack (McPeek, 20-1); #6 Emmanuel (Pletcher, 50-1); #7 Epicenter (Asmussen, 15-1); #8 Giant Game (Dale Romans, 30-1); #9 High Oak (Bill Mott, 50-1); #10 Jack Christopher (Chad Brown, 10-1); #11 Major General (Pletcher, 50-1); #12 Make It Big (Saffie Joseph Jr., 50-1); #13 Mo Donegal (Pletcher, 12-1); #14 Pappacap (Mark Casse, 20-1); #15 Rattle N Roll (McPeek, 30-1); #16 Simplification (Antonio Sano, 30-1); #17 Slow Down Andy (Doug O'Neill, 15-1); #18 Smile Happy (McPeek, 8-1); #19 Tiz the Bomb (McPeek, 20-1); #20 Trafalgar (Al Stall Jr., 50-1); #21 Varatti (Pletcher, 50-1); #22 White Abarrio (Joseph, 50-1); #23 Zandon (Brown, 12-1); and #24 “All Other 3-Year-Olds” (7-5).

The pari-mutuel field for the first pool of the New Year has closed as the bettors' choice every year since the wager was inaugurated in 1999, and the final odds were 5-2 in five of the last seven years.

There are nine new individual interests from Pool 1 in the KDFW. They are first-level allowance winner Chasing Time; Jerome winner Courvoisier; Smarty Jones winner Dash Attack; debut maiden winner Emmanuel; Saratoga Special winner High Oak; Remington Springboard Mile winner Make It Big; Mucho Macho Man winner Simplification; Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) winner Slow Down Andy; and Kentucky Jockey Club third White Abarrio.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wagers provide fans of Thoroughbred racing with opportunities to place bets on possible entrants in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at odds that could be far greater and more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The 148th running of Kentucky Derby, America's greatest race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 7 at Churchill Downs.

There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Should Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of this week's four-day pool that one of the wagering interests has experienced an injury, illness or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

The other Future Wager dates are set for Feb. 11-13 (Pool 3), March 11-13 (Pool 4) and March 31-April 2 (Pool 5). The lone Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 4 on March 11-13.

More information, Brisnet.com past performances and real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available before the pool opens Friday online at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/wager/future-wager.

The post Smile Happy Tops Individual Options Ahead Of Second Kentucky Derby Future Wager appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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‘Consummate Professional’ Bob Neumeier Passes; Played Key Role On Major Racing Telecasts

Popular Boston sportscaster Bob Neumeier, a reporter and analyst on horse racing telecasts on NBC and ESPN for more than a quarter century, died Oct. 23 at the age of 70. Neumeier's wife, Michele Ucci, told the Boston Globe that her husband suffered from congestive heart failure and heart disease and had been in hospice care for the last two months.

Known as “Neumy” to friends and fans, Neumeier – a graduate of Syracuse University – had been doing play-by-play for the World Hockey League's Hartford Whalers when he became a reporter and sports anchor for Boston's Channel 4 in 1981, a position he held for 20 years.

In the 1980s, Neumeier – an avid horse racing fan and sharp handicapper – began working for Breeders' Cup on a newsfeed that distributed news and personality features nationally to local TV channels.

In 1990. Neumeier joined the NBC Sports broadcast team for the Breeders' Cup, and his reporting and interview skills went into play almost immediately on a tragic day at Belmont Park when three horses died on track, Shaker Knit and Mr. Nickerson in the Sprint and champion filly Go For Wand in the Distaff. He played a similar role during the challenging post-race coverage of Barbaro's ultimately fatal injury in the 2006 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

“It was very similar in terms of the raw emotion that was palpable from the patrons and the people on the track and surrounding the track,” Neumeier told Houston Chronicle columnist David Barron after the 2006 Preakness. “Professionally, we've been there before, and unfortunately, it's not a pleasant experience. But we're trained to handle it.”

Neumeier continued his reporting during racing telecasts (while also doing hockey play by play on Boston radio), but it was his handicapping and on-camera bantering with others, from the late eccentric horseplayer from England, John McCririck, to Mike Battaglia, Eddie Olczyk and others. Neumeier took his handicapping seriously and backed up his opinions at the windows.

He had two publicized health setbacks, the first coming in 2009 when he was taken to a Louisville hospital after collapsing at Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week. Five years later, he suffered a stroke just days before the 2014 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. He recovered from both incidents, most notably coming back from the stroke to win an NTRA sponsored media handicapping tournament held in conjunction with the National Horseplayers Championship in January 2015. Neumeier was back on the air for the 2015 Triple Crown.

Breeders' Cup issued the following statement about Neumeier's passing: “We were very saddened to learn today of the passing of Bob Neumeier. Bob was a big part of the NBC Breeders' Cup World Championships broadcasts for many years as a handicapper, reporter and analyst. Bob brought his expertise of Thoroughbred racing and a great sense of humor to every show.  We extend our sincere condolences to Bob's wife Michele and to his extended family.”

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Oaks Post Draw Monday At 11 A.M. ; Derby Draw Same Time Tuesday

Churchill Downs has released details on Monday's post position draw for the April 30 Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Tuesday's draw for the May 1 Kentucky Derby (G1).

The Post Position Draw for the 147th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) will be held Monday, April 26, at 11 a.m. ET in the Aristides Lounge on the second floor of Churchill Downs' Clubhouse.

The Post Position Draw for the 147th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) will be held Tuesday, April 27, at 11 a.m. ET in the same location.

Due to physical distancing protocols and other safety measures in place, only owners and trainers and select broadcast media will be permitted inside the Aristides Lounge for both the Oaks and Derby draws.

The Oaks and Derby post position draws are traditional “pill pull” events in which horses' entry blanks are pulled simultaneously with a numbered pill to determine what stall a horse will break from the starting gate.

Preference to the nation's premier race for 3-year-old fillies is given to the top point-earners on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks.” Up to 18 horses may enter the 1 1/8-mile race and four horses can be listed as “also eligible” and would be ranked in order accordingly; they could draw into the field should any horse(s) be scratched before scratch time on Friday, April 30, 2021 at 9 a.m. ET.

Preference to America's greatest race is given to the top point-earners on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby.” Up to 24 three-year-olds may enter the 1 ¼-mile race and four horses can be listed as “also eligible” and would be ranked in order accordingly; they could draw into the field should any horse(s) be scratched before scratch time on Friday, April 30, 2021 at 9 a.m. ET.

Track announcer Travis Stone will host the draw, with Vice President of Racing Ben Huffman and Assistant Racing Secretary Dan Bork pulling the pills and entry slips. Kentucky Horse Racing Commission chief steward Barbara Borden will oversee the proceedings.

The Kentucky Oaks Post Position Draw will be streamed live on www.KentuckyDerby.com.

The Kentucky Derby Post Position Draw will be streamed live on www.KentuckyDerby.com from 10:45-11:45 a.m. and televised live by FS2 nationally from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET. NBC affiliate WAVE-3 in Louisville also will broadcast the draw as will other outlets.

Veteran Churchill Downs odds maker Mike Battaglia will not be present for the Oaks or Derby post position draws. This year will mark the 48th time that Battaglia has made the Oaks and Derby morning line odds.

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